Objectives describe the measurable skills, abilities, knowledge, or values that students should be able to do or demonstrate as a result of completing a program of study, a course, or lesson. Objectives are student-centered rather than teacher-centered statements, in that they describe what the students will do, not what the instructor will teach. Objectives are not standalone statements—they must all relate to each other and to the title of the unit and avoid repetition. Articulating objectives for students is part of good teaching. If you tell students what you expected them to do, and give them practice in doing it, then there is a good chance that they will be able to do it on a test or major assignment. That is to say, they will have learned what you wanted them to know. If you do not tell them what they will be expected to do, then they are left guessing what you want. If they guess wrong, they will resent you for being tricky, obscure, or punishing. Objectives are to be implemented consistently in all like-grades and course sections. The objectives need to spiral (build upon each other) from one grade level or course to the next.
Objectives need to be SMART:
Specific - An objective should be well defined and clear. It states exactly what will be accomplished.
Measurable - An objective should provide a benchmark or target so that the school can determine when the target has been reached, by how much it has been exceeded or by how much it has fallen short.
Agreed Upon - Important stakeholders must be in general agreement with the school’s mission, goals and objectives. Stakeholders may include school administration, teachers, students, alumni, and/or community members.
Realistic - Objectives should be reasonable given the available resources. Objectives should neither be easy nor impossible to attain, but somewhere in between.
Time-Framed - An objective should include a time frame in which to be completed. It is important to allow enough time to successfully implement the steps needed to achieve the objective, but not so much as to elicit procrastination.
The Importance of Objectives
Objectives help teachers to:
Determine the emphasis in the course: Of all the things that could be taught, what should be taught?
Decide how best to teach: Teaching students to analyze requires different teaching approaches from teaching students to memorize.
Decide how best to assess learning: The language of the objective should indicate a logical means of assessment (a project, presentation, exam).
Communicate expectations to students: What are our decisions on the matters above? Inform the students.
Objectives help students by:
Creating a connection between teaching and learning, between teachers and students
Taking much of the guessing out of the student's attempt to learn
Enabling students to truly master the content of the class/course
Format of the Objective Statement
The common format of the objective statement is "SUBJECT- VERB-OBJECT" or simply 'SVO'.
The SUBJECT is the learner or the student.
The VERB represents the SKILL that is intended to be demonstrated by the student. The skill is an action verb that can be both observed and assessed, and is directly connected to the OBJECT (content) that follows it in the objective statement. The higher the level of the verb, the deeper and more complete the understanding.
The OBJECT in the objective statement is the CONCEPT or cognitive process that is to be demonstrated by the verb, which is subject-specific (i.e., reading, math, science, social studies). The object represents the knowledge that the student is to learn and to demonstrate mastery through an appropriate assessment.
Objectives are student-centered rather than teacher-centered statements, in that they describe what the students will do, not what the instructor will teach. Objectives are not standalone statements—they must all relate to each other and to the title of the unit and avoid repetition.
Articulating objectives for students is part of good teaching. If you tell students what you expected them to do, and give them practice in doing it, then there is a good chance that they will be able to do it on a test or major assignment. That is to say, they will have learned what you wanted them to know. If you do not tell them what they will be expected to do, then they are left guessing what you want. If they guess wrong, they will resent you for being tricky, obscure, or punishing.
Objectives are to be implemented consistently in all like-grades and course sections. The objectives need to spiral (build upon each other) from one grade level or course to the next.
Objectives need to be SMART:
The Importance of Objectives
Objectives help teachers to:
Objectives help students by:
Format of the Objective Statement
The common format of the objective statement is "SUBJECT- VERB-OBJECT" or simply 'SVO'.Return to previous page.